2: Tribal Territorial Sovereignty Societies
3: Breaking Free
How Technology Reshapes Our Evolutionary Pressures
Let's break it down. The two main forces that historically drove us towards tribal territorial sovereignty (TTS) societies were:
1. Ever-growing populations
2. Limited food supplies
In the 21st century, we've developed technologies that have completely reshaped this equation. Remember when we mentioned our "superpower" of self-awareness? Well, it turns out that extends to family planning too. With the advent of modern birth control methods, we've gained unprecedented control over our reproduction.
The results are nothing short of revolutionary. In many parts of the world, particularly in developed nations, fertility rates have plummeted. We're talking about a drop so significant that some countries are actually worried about population decline. We are rapidly approaching the point demographers call "Zero Population Growth" or ZPG. After that, demographers project a decline in population levels, as many people feel uncomfortable bringing children into an overcrowded world. At some point, the population will stabilize at a level where people feel better about this, and we would expect the lower population to remain stable.
Now, let's talk about food. Remember those images of chimps fighting over scarce resources? Well, in much of the world, that scarcity is becoming a thing of the past. Thanks to advances in agricultural technology, we're producing more food than ever before. In fact, here's a mind-bending fact for you: in many developed countries, including the United States and across the European Union, governments actually pay farmers not to produce food. It's a practice known as "set-aside" or "crop reduction" programs.
Why?
Our agricultural productivity is so high (due mostly to new technology) that we risk crashing food prices if we produce at full capacity. This is not a new fear. In the late 1920s new technology made it possible to fill the larders as never before. The innovations of refrigerated rail and truck transit, tractors, and fertilizer plants caused production to skyrocket. Food prices collapsed and most farmers were unable to meet their mortgage payments. Banks repossessed farms that they couldn’t sell and lost so much money that they couldn’t give back deposits when people wanted their money back. The banking system collapsed, taking with it the industrial economy. This lead to a global depression lasted more than a decade. World leaders understand the danger of ‘overproduction’ of food, so they go to extreme lengths to production at levels far lower than the global industry can provide.
Let that sink in for a moment. While hunger still exists in many parts of the world, the problem isn't one of global scarcity. There is plenty for everyone. The real issue stems from something far more artificial and, frankly, outdated: our insistence on dividing the world into 'nations', where some are rich and some are poor.
This division, a hallmark of our tribal territorial sovereignty (TTS) societies, creates artificial barriers to the distribution of resources. We have the technological capability to overfeed every person on this planet (in most countries, obesity related diseases like diabetes kill more people than hunger) yet, in some parts of the world, millions go hungry. Why? Because our global system, built on the idea of competing nation-states, prioritizes national interests over human welfare.
Think about it: in a world where we can produce more than enough food, where we have the means to control our population growth, why do we still cling to a system that fosters competition and conflict over cooperation and shared prosperity? Our TTS model, inherited from our evolutionary past, now serves as a straitjacket, constraining our ability to solve global problems.
Imagine if we approached food distribution the way we approach, say, scientific knowledge. When a researcher in Japan makes a breakthrough, scientists in Brazil don't go hungry for information. Knowledge flows freely across borders, benefiting all of humanity. Why can't we apply this same principle to our material resources?
The persistence of hunger in a world of plenty isn't just a failure of distribution; it's a failure of imagination. It's a stark reminder that our current global structure – our patchwork of competing nations – is ill-equipped to handle the challenges and opportunities of our technological age.
Reimagining Our Future
As we've seen, technology has reshaped the very forces that once drove us towards tribal territorial sovereignty (TTS) societies. We now stand at a unique crossroads in human history. The old evolutionary imperatives no longer apply, at least not in the same way. For the first time, we have the breathing room to step back, reassess, and potentially rebuild our societies from the ground up.
But here's the million-dollar question: will we seize this opportunity? Or will we cling to outdated models simply because they're familiar?
Imagine our global system as a vast, intricate machine. This machine wasn't designed; it evolved over time, existing before we did as a species and forcing us to conform to its requirements. War and destruction aren't bugs in this system - they're features. Just as our distant forebears fought over prime hunting grounds, we now wage devastating wars over oil fields and strategic borders. Our relentless consumption of the planet's resources is the inevitable result of applying tribal territorial thinking to a species with the power to trigger extinction-level events.
This realization is both terrifying and liberating. Our greatest enemy isn't some foreign power or impending natural disaster - it's the very blueprint of our civilization. To survive and thrive, we need to be bold enough to reimagine this blueprint, to draft new plans for a global society that doesn't treat conflict and destruction as unavoidable side effects.
The challenge we face requires us to flex our uniquely human capacities for imagination, reason, and foresight. We need to envision societies built not on the scarcity and conflict of our evolutionary past, but on the abundance and cooperation made possible by our present capabilities.
It won't be easy. The TTS model is deeply ingrained in our cultures and psyches. We've had it since before 'we' existed as a species. It was pre-programmed into our thinking before we could even think. We take it for granted as a given, something we can't change. But we can change it.
To dodge the bullet of extinction, we need to fundamentally rewire our collective mindset. The old stories we tell ourselves about who we are and how we should organize our world? They're as outdated as stone axes in the age of quantum computing. Clinging to rigid ideas of nations and borders is like trying to navigate the internet with a paper map.
This isn't some ivory tower thought experiment. It's a rallying cry, a call to arms for every one of us. You're not just a reader; you're a potential architect of a new world order. Every time you question why things are the way they are, every moment you dare to imagine a different way of doing things, you're joining a quiet revolution.
I get it: The idea of challenging systems that have been in place for centuries can feel overwhelming, maybe even a little crazy. But here's a secret: every major leap forward in human history started with someone crazy enough to question the unquestionable.
So here we are, you and I, standing at the edge of a new frontier. Are you ready to push the boundaries of what's possible? To dream up solutions that would make the so-called experts' heads spin? The future of our entire species could hinge on our willingness to think and act differently.
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